Auxiliary seeding attachment for planters.



1. A. WHITWORTH.

AUXILIARY SEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR PLANTERS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-16. 191a Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

J. A. WHITWORTH;

AUXILIARY SEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR PLANTERS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.16, I916.

Patented Aug. 21, 191-7.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2' vii 1 1cm 1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN ALLEN lVrIn JOHN ALLEN WHITWORTH, OF BANQUETE, TEXAS.

AUXILIARY snnnrne ATTACHMENT FOR PLANTERSL Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

ApplicatiohfiledDecember 16, 1916. Serial No. 137,427.

worurn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Banquets, in the county of Nueces and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auxiliary Seeding Attachments for Planters, of which the following is a specification. V

The present invention has for its primary ob ect the provision of an attachment for agricultural machines commercially known as seed planters, such as are employed for the planting of corn, cotton seeder the like, and is designed to enable the use of the same mechanism for planting of, seed of a much smaller nature than those referred to, such as cabbage,onions, or similar seedif For a clear understanding of the function of my invention, it may be stated that apparatus of the type above referred to'con sist generally of ahopper of suflicient" size.

to hold a quantity of seedgandfeeding mechanism by which said .seed'is distributed as the machine is operated over the ground and in the adaptation of the apparatus to perform the additional planting functions which I contemplate, I simply provide an auxiliary hopper or receptacle of a smaller capacity, preferably subject to disposition within the regular'or main hopper, with means for adjusting said auxiliary hopper in relation to the feeding mechanism so that the finer seed from said hopper will be properly distributed by this same feeding mechanism.

It is further comprehended by my invention to provide means for regulating'ithe quantity of seed which is supplied from the auxiliarvhopper to the feeding mechanism aforesaid;

For afull understanding of the present invention, reference is to be hadto the following description, andthe accompanying drawings, in which T Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view through the main hopper of a planter and showing the, disposition of y; invention within the same. I 1

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view. on the line 22 ofFig. 1. .f

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view on the line as or Fig.1. j 1

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentarylsectional view taken on the plane indicated the line H of Fig. 1, showing more clearly the coaction of a clamping "member for holding the auxiliary hopper in proper position. 1

Fig; 5 is aperspective view of my invention complete.

Throughout the following detail description, and on the several figures of the drawings, similar parts'are referred to by like reference numerals Specifically describing the apparatus which includes my invention, 1 designates a main h-opperof the planting apparatus with which m'y'invention is used, said hopper being provided with a bottomplate 2 and a feed plate 3 disposed thereon for distributing seed from said hopper through operating mechanism indicated generally by the reference mama-a4. I desire it to be particularly notedthat the seeding mechanism is only conventionally shown in the drawing and this in actual commercial machines differs according to the type manufactured by different manufacturers but in general these mechanisms have elements in common such as have been referred to above. The feed plate 3, as will be apparent is rotatably mounted on the "central clamping bolt 5 which extends through the spiderlike central portion of the bottom 2 of the main hopper. Said plate furthermore is provided adjacent'to its periphery with a series of feedvapertures 6 into which the seed fall for selective distribution in the customary manner.

It is with this conventional mechanism that my attachment is designed to cooperate and by reference to Fig. 5 of the drawings, said attachmenticomprises-mainly the frame or supporting plate 7 which is of rectangular construction and provided with a central aperture 8 to receive the bolt 5 extending throughthe bottomof the main hopper and said bolt furthermore secures the plate in fixed relation to the main hopper bottom when the nut of said bolt is sufficiently tightened to accomplish thisresult.

Inasmuch "as my invention is adapted for use with different types of seed planters, it

is requisitethat provision be made for the bottom'of the main hopper adjacent the peri'phery thereof so that said support is sub i 1 neath the supporting plate 7 and set screws of its supportso as to bring itinto proper,

ject to adjustment toward or from the feed plate 3 according to the thickness of the-material of the same. The supporting plate 7 carries adjacent toone end the auxiliary hopper or receptacle 10 which is, of course, generally of much,smaller capacity than the main hopper in which it is disposed. Said hopper is subject to adjustmentonthe plate 7 toward or from the center thereof as will now. be described, The hottonr 10" of the hopper extends laterally from the sides of thesanie a suitable distance toproject, be-

11 extend through the sidesof said support into contact with the lateral extensions of the hopper bottom, as shown in Fig. l of the drawing, the said extensions being preft bly J u tersunk as ind c t d in Fig 4 s 7 ce yet v x r i the e r s screws 11 As inferred from the foregoing descrip tion, the adaptation of this invention to. the different types of seeding mechanism is seeondarily provided for by the adjustment of this a ary hopp r in ar y r outward y relation with the feeding apertures or notches of the feed plate of the main hopper, the feeding platesbeinggenerally of different diameters. The bottQm 0f the pp -1% as ho n n F g! 5 is; pr v d d centrally with an outlet aperture 12 the hopper with its support is solocatedin the mainhopper that the feed aperture 12,

will lie slightlyto one side of the. feed aperture 2", in the, bottom of the main hopper with which the feed apertures 6 of the feeding plate register'during the rotation of the same. Qbyiouslythe seed from the, auxila iary hopper will fall upon, the feeding plate and when the first aperture 6 of the sanae passes beneath the auxiliary hopper'ajpra d rmin d amo t of e ed will be a riedto theopening' 2* and allowed to pass rom th s ding: appa at s- It i e rab to, c ntr l t ease seedwhich is fed from the auxiliary hopper s may be equi d; by h difi t chem ters of seed which are distributed and for this. purpose I proyide, an. adjustable slide val-W13 h h h aper u s t er throngh of different sizes, said apertures ei g subje t to, r g t a on w th the ap r-l trim in e b tt m: f -h banne y Shif in he pl te, lat r ly hr gh-.t esr rr ee of the flanged extremity l3., This; ya, ve is also used toclose the outlet whenuthezauxil-c iary hoppenis'used.

Where the d ameter; of the-feed 3 of the feeding mechanism of theseeding apparatus is smaller thantthat shoyvniin h ux l a h ppe st, e mo ia i y o he tream n sla e and t e able this to bedone the serewsll gerremoyed n r edi n s tablethr d d eelz e es nearer the center of the plate, whereupon the hopper is moved inwardly until the lateral extensionsof the-bottom liebeneath said apertures 15. The screws llare then adjusted into contact I with the lateral extensions and sufficient pressure exerted thereupon to prevent displacement of the hopper by the. frictional contact of the feeding plate directly beneath the same therewith. Any number of adjustments of this character may be obtained by providing a su'flicient number of apertures 15, as may be required in the adaptation of this invention, to different types f machines.

The utility of .the invention will be obvious from the foregoing description It enables the useof a machine which is generally .adaptedfor the. planting of one kind of seed forthe sowing of seed of a very small character and yet controlling the distribution of said small seed withthefeeding mechanism which is employed for the large seed. This increase of utility of an apparatus which is expensive is extremely desirable since it dispenses with'the necessity for securing duplicated types of machines for performing substantially the same function of seeding of grain, or vegetable seed as, the case may be.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as newisz. I

1. The; combination with a seed planter of the class described comprising a hopper for, and means for adjustably holding said support in pesition to deliver the. contents of the attachment hopper to. the feeding mechanism for distribution of said contents under the control of the latter.

3. Thecornbinationwith a seed planterof the described @QmPl-ising a hopper. and feeding mechanism therefor, of an auxiliary hopper, a support therefor adapted tobe disposed Within the m in hopper aforesaid, means for holding said support, in fixed relation to. the main hopper, and means for adjusting the auxiliary hopper withrespect' to, the feeding mechanisrn whereby to effect distribntionofthe contents of said auxiliary hopper under control of. the main hopper eed nsmc ni m 4. The combination with a seed planter of the class described comprising a hopper and feeding mechanism therefor, of an auxiliary hopper, a support therefor adapted to be disposed within the main hopper aforesaid, means for holding said support in fixed relation to the main hopper, means for adjusting the auxiliary hopper with respect to the feeding mechanism whereby to effect distribution of the contents of said auxiliary hopper, and means for controlling the feed of the contents from the auxiliary hopper to the feeding mechanism.

5. The combination with a seed planter of the class described comprising a hopper and feed mechamsm therefor including a revoluble feed plate, and means for holding sald plate, of an auxiliary seeding attachment comprising a hopper arranged within the main hopper and a support with which the holding means aforesaid coacts to hold said support in fixed relation to the main hopper, and means for adjustably holding said support in cooperative position with respect to the feeding mechanism.

6. The combination with a seed planter of the class described comprising a hopper and feed mechanism therefor including a revoluble feed plate, and means for holding said plate, of an auxiliary seeding attachment comprising a hopper arranged within the mam hopper and a support with which the holding means aforesaid coacts to hold said support in fixed relation to the main hopper, means for adjustably holding said support in cooperative position with respect to the feeding mechanism, and means for adjusting said auxiliary hopper on said support toward or from the holding means aforesaid.

7. An auxiliary seeding attachment for planters comprising a supporting plate, adjusting screws carried by said plate for regulating the adjustment of the support, a hop-,'

per carried by said support and comprising extensions coacting with said supporting plate, and adjusting screws carried by said supporting plate for cooperation with the extensions aforesaid to hold the hopper in adjusted position on said plate.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature,

JOHN ALLEN WHITWORTH.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

